


Dublin Murder Squad Ship Manifestos

by Ashling



Category: Dublin Murder Squad Series - Tana French
Genre: I have feelings I have thoughts I have reasons I have quotes I have instincts, Meta, Ship Manifesto, happy valentine's day, what I don't have is enough Dublin Murder Squad fanfiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:48:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22446667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashling/pseuds/Ashling
Summary: I have a whole lotta Thoughts about who could/should/might be pining/fucking/falling in love. And. It is TIME FOR YOU TO HEAR ABOUT THOSE THOUGHTS!One ship manifesto per chapter; open to requests.
Relationships: Antoinette Conway/Fleas (Dublin Murder Squad)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Dublin Murder Squad Ship Manifestos

**Author's Note:**

> I have never been wrong, I am never wrong, I will never be wrong.
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day!

Words cannot describe how desperate I am for fic of these two. I love Antoinette fiercely, and I’m fascinated by Fleas, not least because he was clever and capable enough to drop out of cop college (Templemore) and go straight to working Undercover. Although Fleas only shows up for one scene and is mentioned a few times in Antoinette’s thoughts, that’s enough for this ship’s potential. 

Antoinette at the beginning of The Trespasser is viciously disparaging of people who go looking for dates (and people who need other people in general), and throughout most of the book constantly hates anything that might indicate that she’s anything but perfectly independent. But eventually, she calls on Stephen for help, and that one moment of vulnerability she allows herself actually leads her to a pivotal confrontation that unlocks the case and also sets up her relationship with Stephen as possibly the sturdiest and longest-lasting of any DMS working relationships. What does this have to do with Fleas? Well.

> _The two of us got on, back in training_. _I wasn’t there to make bosom buddies, and I didn’t need morons saying I was shagging a guy into looking after me; but if it hadn’t been for all that, we would have been friends._

Given the way she reacts to the surprise of him turning up in her apartment _(I laugh out loud; if I was the hugging type, I’d hug him)_ plus the friendly banter, I think it’s safe to say that she likes and trusts him a lot. Ah, but couldn’t that be platonic friendship? Sure, but: 

> _Fleas watches me, over the rim of his mug. For once he isn’t moving. He says, “Will I stay the night?”_
> 
> _There are a few different ways he could mean that. Tonight, all of them sound good. If it wasn’t for the guy at the top of the road, wasn’t for the shite I’m taking at work, I would say yes, one way or another._
> 
> _I can’t handle either of us thinking I need him there. “You’re all right,” I say. “Thanks, but.”_

**Strong** case for friends with benefits, right there!.

Ah, but that’s an emotionally platonic friendship with sex for comfort and fun on top, you say. Fair, perfectly fair. But if Antoinette was attracted to Fleas romantically, everything would've still played out like this. FWB is the most intimacy a pre-The Trespasser Antoinette can handle. She simply wouldn't allow herself to get anywhere close to romantic feelings. You can see it in practically everything she says about Fleas, and about dating in general, and then, you can see it here: 

> _Fleas gives me a grin and a quick, one-armed hug. His tough skinny arm and the smell of him—cheapo body spray, straight out of when I was fifteen—hit me with a blast of weakness that makes me glad he’s leaving._

_Weakness_ , that’s how she describes the emotion she gets when she’s touched with real affection. Antoinette, before the very end of The Trespasser, would stomp down on any romance like it was a cockroach.

But then, her views on vulnerability changes; she becomes more willing to rely on Stephen, less worried that everyone in the world is out to get her/views her as weak, and she thinks of the future with pleasure and hope. Tucked into the litany of things she anticipates is this:

> _Maybe Fleas will e-mail me tomorrow, when he sees the headlines: Hiya Rach, saw your news, delighted everythings workin out for you, have to meet up to celebrate x_

It’s a blindingly beautiful setup for post-canon shipfic and Antoinette’s just handing it to us on a silver platter! 

As for Fleas’ feelings towards Antoinette, I don’t think I can definitively say that they’re romantic, but again, they very well could be. It’s possible that he’s keeping those feelings repressed, or at least out of sight, knowing he’ll get chucked out a window if he so much as suggests a date. In the meantime, he keeps up on Antoinette’s career and how things are with her despite not having seen her in years; he comes in person when she emails him for info, rather than contacting her via phone; and he indicates that he’d help her get onto Undercover to work with him if she wants, with _something that almost looks like regret_ on his face when she says no.

Final argument: Fleas helping himself to a fish finger sandwich out of Antoinette’s fridge as they both talked, and Antoinette neither made it for him, nor was surprised or annoyed by it in the slightest, despite the fact that they haven't seen each other in years—absolutely peak. We love to see it. Thank you, Ms. French. I will be taking it from here and fucking SPRINTING with it.

**Author's Note:**

> If you wanna see me Yell about your favorite DMS ship, ask for it! I can do basically anything, including a ship of two women who never met, and I relish the challenge!
> 
> Unless it's Roche. No Roche shipping in this house. Only Roche humiliation, and Roche murder.


End file.
